Safe and Sound
by TheShunnedPrince
Summary: 3 times Dean falls asleep and wakes up in Castiel's lap. The first time, Dean is slightly creeped out. The second time, he doesn't mind it so much. The third time he welcomes it. Set in season 8.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any Supernatural characters. They belong to Erik Kripke.

The first time Dean fell asleep in Castiel's lap was in Purgatory. It was the night after Dean and Benny had finally found Cas. They were camped out in some dark cave by the river. Benny had volunteered to take first watch and had settled by the entrance of the cave. This left Dean alone with Cas.

"I'm glad we finally found you, Cas," Dean mumbled happily, nudging Castiel gently with his finger. Cas, however, looked anything but glad. His face was scrunched up into lines of worry and tension, and his eyes were anxiously darting around. He didn't seem to have heard Dean.

"Cas?" Dean asked again, gently shaking Castiel's shoulder. Cas's gaze finally landed on Dean and he said,

"Yes, Dean." It wasn't the response Dean had been hoping for, but he let it go. Dean sighed, and decided to familiarize himself with his surroundings. Of course, they had checked the cave prior to entering it, but this was Purgatory and you could never be too careful.

He and Cas were sitting on the dirt floor, their backs supported by the cave wall. The hard rock was digging into Dean's shoulder blades. A few months ago that would have made Dean uncomfortable, but now he was used to the roughness of Purgatory.

Despite the fact that they were probably surrounded by monsters, Dean felt at peace for the first time in months. He had finally found Cas. After almost a year of searching, he had his angel back. Unfortunately, his angel didn't seem very happy about that fact. Dean couldn't exactly put his finger on what was bothering Cas, and it irritated him. Cas was obviously struggling with something, but whenever Dean asked, Cas just vaguely said something about the Leviathans following them. Dean didn't believe him.

"Hey Cas," he said, "I think I'm gonna crash." Castiel simply nodded in response. Dean sighed out of frustration. Clearly, Cas wasn't feeling very talkative. Well, Cas was never very talkative, but he seemed unusually reserved tonight.

Purgatory had not been kind to Dean. His body ached with bruises, cuts, and several other injuries that would have had Sam puking if he were here. _Oh god, Sam._ Dean had barely thought about his brother since he was zapped into Purgatory. There was something so surreal, and pure about the place that made Sam and everything else about that world seem like a dream.

Dean could feel his eyes drooping as they traveled around the cave. He felt like trying to keep them open was like lifting 200 pound a sigh, he let them shut, and almost smiled in relief. He had barely let himself sleep for more than two hours at a time in Purgatory since he didn't exactly trust Benny to keep watch because the guy was a frickin' vampire. But now Dean has Cas. Now, Dean had an angel to watch over and protect him. So for the first time in a long time, Dean let his exhaustion take control over his body, and was out like a light.

Castiel was contemplating his next move when Dean's head came to rest on his shoulder. He automatically stiffened from the touch, but relaxed after a few seconds. He felt horribly guilty for leading Dean on like this, for giving him a false hope. This wasn't supposed to happen. Dean wasn't supposed to find him.

Castiel sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't know what to do now that Dean had found him. _It doesn't change anything,_ Cas thought, _you still have to go through with the plan._ But Cas didn't want to go through with the plan. Not if it hurt Dean. But Castiel knew that he had to pay for his crimes, no matter the pain it caused Dean.

On his shoulder, Dean mumbled something incoherent, and buried his head into Castiel's dirty trenchcoat. Cas winced at the angle that Dean was sleeping. It looked very uncomfortable, and Dean was bound to have a cramp when he woke up. So very gently, as not to wake Dean, Cas lowered the fatigued hunter onto his lap. Dean grunted a little in his sleep, and turned his body so that his head was completely swallowed by Cas's trenchcoat. The sight of Dean Winchester curled up in his lap made Cas smile.

"That's funny," drawled a Southern voice from the cave entrance, "I ain't never seen him sleep so soundly in this place. He must trust you, which is funny because I've heard that you betrayed him," It was the vampire, Benny. The smile disappeared from Castiel's face.

"He's just tired," Cas responded coldly. Benny shrugged, and walked back to his spot near the cave opening. Cas absentmindedly ran his fingers through Dean's hair while trying to sort out his thoughts. It was going to be a long night.

When Dean woke up, the first thing he saw was a cream colored cloth in his face. He knew instantly that it was Cas's trenchcoat because it smelled like the angel: a mix of dirt, blood, and some sweet scent that seemed to follow Cas around. Groaning, Dean blinked rapidly and twisted his body around to see where his was. He looked up, and found Cas staring down at him.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean exclaimed, and bolted upright. His forehead connected with Castiel's and a dart of pain shot through Dean.

"Ow. Sorry, Cas," he groaned, and Cas simply nodded. "Uh, Cas, why was I sleeping in your lap?" Dean asked. Cas shrugged.

"I thought it would be more comfortable than my shoulder," Cas responded, and Dean's mouth hung open stupidly for a few seconds. From the corner of his eye, Dean could make out Benny smirking.

"Oh, um, ok. Yeah, I guess that's a valid point," Dean choked out. Cas simply stared at him, and Dean stared back. They stared at each other for a good few seconds before Benny broke the silence.

"Alright, you two lovebirds about done?" He asked, drawing out a blush from Dean. "We gotta get moving." Dean nodded.

"Of course. Let's go, Cas." And they climbed out of the cave, Dean holding his sword menacingly on his hand, ready to take on the monsters.


	2. Chapter 2

The second time Dean fell asleep in Castiel's lap, they were still in Purgatory. But this time, Dean was sick.

One minute he was fine, but the next, Dean's throat ached, and he was coughing every few minutes. The trees around him blurred, and he found himself stumbling. Cas caught him every time he almost fell, pinning Dean with a concerned look that reminded Dean painfully of Sam. Dean ignored Cas and kept on walking. To Dean's surprise, it was Benny who finally put his foot down.

"Brother, we should stop. You're coughing loud enough to attract monsters from miles away." Dean scowled at him and said,

"I'm fine. And don't call me brother," Dean snapped. Cas put his hand on Dean's shoulder.

"He's right, Dean. We should stop and you should rest," Cas insisted. Dean rolled his eyes.

"I've had worse, Cas. Come on, let's keep going." Cas and Benny stared doubtfully at Dean for a few seconds, but they gave in and the group continued walking.

After a few hours, Dean felt incredibly hot and sluggish. He was moving at the pace of a snail, and he kept seeing things out of the corner of his eye. After almost taking Benny's head off a few times, Cas put his foot down.

"Dean, you are delirious and you need to rest. We're stopping," Cas declared.

"I'm not delirious. I'm fine," Dean protested, his speech slurring slightly. Then he passed out.

Dean woke up on somebody's lap, his head throbbing. He groaned, and called out for Sam. Then there was a hand on his head, taking away some of the pain.

"Relax, Dean," said a familiar deep voice, but Dean couldn't place the owner.

"Who are you?" Dean asked, "Where's Sam?"

"Sam's not here," the voice said. "He's back home, safe." Dean started to wildly thrash around, yelling and screaming for Sam, his dad, his mom, anybody really. He just wanted his family.

"Dean, you have to calm down," the voice ordered sternly.

"Use some of your angel juice," said another one was softer, and had a slight southern accent.

"I can't, I barely have any left," the deeper voice said.

"Where's Sammy?" Dean asked weakly again.

"Dean, he's not here. You're in Purgatory, remember?" The deep voice replied.

And just like that, Dean remembered everything. He remembered killing Dick Roman, Dick exploding, arriving in purgatory, meeting Benny, searching for Cas, and most importantly, finding Cas.

"Cas?" Dean asked, and he heard Cas sigh in relief.

"Yes, Dean. You're safe now," Cas soothed.

"Promise?" Dean asked.

"Yes, I promise," Cas replied, and Dean believed him.

"Okay," Dean said, and he allowed himself to fall asleep again.

The next time Dean woke up, he felt much better. The pain in his head was gone, and thankfully he remembered where he was this time. He was in Castiel's lap. Dean opened his eyes, and saw that Cas's eyes were closed. Dean hated to wake him, but he needed to know what was going on.

"Cas?" Dean asked, his voice hoarse. Castiel's bright blue eyes snapped open, and settled on Dean.

"Hello, Dean," Cas said, and Dean smiled a little at the familiar phrase.

"How long have I been out?" Dean asked, running a hand over his face.

"About three days. You were delirious and feverish for the first, but improved by the second. We've been moving constantly, and I carried you."

"You carried me?" Dean exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yes," Cas said. Dean heaved himself up into a sitting position, and rested his weary head on Cas's shoulder.

"Thanks," Dean said, and he could almost feel Cas smiling.

"You are welcome, Dean."

"I think I'm well enough to travel now," Dean stated, and Castiel frowned.

"I don't think so. You still need time to heal, Dean." Dean rolled his eyes.

"We don't have time, Cas. The sooner we get out of here, the better. Once we're out of Purgatory, I can rest all I want. But for now, we have to keep going." Cas sighed in surrender.

"Fine," he said, and Dean cracked a grin.

"How much longer till we reach the portal?" Dean asked.

"The vampire says we just have a few more miles to go," Cas stated.

"Well, we should get going then, right?"

"Yes." Cas helped Dean get to his feet, and they left the cover of the trees. Dean blinked rapidly a few times as the sunlight hit his face. Once his eyes had adjusted, he saw Benny walking toward him.

"Glad you're alright, brother," Benny said, clapping Dean on the back. Dean smiled, and for once he didn't tell Benny off for calling him brother.


	3. Chapter 3

The third time Dean fell asleep in Castiel's lap was after they had escaped Purgatory. It was after Dean found out that Cas was alive, after they had rescued the prophets from Crowley, and after Kevin was safely tucked away with Garth.

Dean was worn out, and honestly, he was feeling pretty hateful toward Castiel. He had been shocked to learn that Cas had decided to stay in Purgatory of his own free will. It hurt Dean that his friend thought so low of himself that he believed he needed a punishment as bad as Purgatory.

Dean sighed, and ran a hand over his face. He glanced at Sam and found his brother sleeping peacefully on his bed. They had checked into some crappy motel room after saving Kevin. Cas was in his own separate room adjacent to theirs. Dean glanced at his watch. It was almost 1:00 a.m. He figured he should go to sleep. With a sigh, Dean shut his laptop, and climbed into bed.

After a year of sleeping on the hard ground in Purgatory, the soft mattress felt foreign and uncomfortable to Dean. It felt like he was sinking or drowning into the cushions. For the first few days after escaping Purgatory, Dean had slept on the floor. Then Sam started yelling at him about how Dean wasn't in Purgatory anymore, and that he should sleep on the bed like a normal person. Dean had sighed, and given in just to shut his brother up, but he regretted that decision.

The mattress creaked and bent under Dean, causing him to squirm in discomfort. He gazed at the hard surface of the floor longingly, but knew if Sam found him there asleep, Dean would have to listen to a whole lot of bitching and moaning in the morning.

After an hour of tossing and turning, Dean gave up on trying to sleep on the bed. He grabbed the blanket and settled down on the floor. He sighed in content as his back hit the hard, flat ground. Then he paused. Something was missing. Something that Dean hadn't had access to earlier, but it was here now.

"Cas?" Dean called softly, trying not to wake Sam. Cas appeared next to Dean instantly, looking confused.

"Dean?" Cas asked, "Why are you on the floor?" Dean sighed.

"I can't sleep on a bed anymore. It's too soft." Understanding flooded Castiel's face, and he nodded sympathetically.

"Why did you call for me?" Cas asked, and Dean started at the floor, his face turning crimson.

"I, uh...well, I thought that maybe you could stay with me? Just this one night, you know?" Dean asked timidly. Castiel's lips twitched.

"Of course, Dean. And it doesn't have to be just this night. If you want me to come again tomorrow, I would be happy to." Dean felt his face heating up, and he hoped that Cas couldn't see him that well in the dark.

"Okay, uh, thanks," Dean stammered. Cas smiled, and sat down next to Dean, resting his back against the wall and unfolding his legs out in front of him. Dean inched his way over to Cas, and placed his head in the angel's lap. Castiel's fingers methodically moved through Dean's hair in a soothing motion, and Dean felt himself being lulled to sleep.

Sam wasn't really sure what woke him, but around 3:30 a.m. his eyes flew open, and he stared up at the ceiling. He tossed and turned, trying to fall back asleep but to no avail. After a few minutes, Sam sighed, and got up to use the bathroom. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, and trudged over to the dingy motel restroom.

After a few minutes, Sam flushed the toilet, and sleepily started the walk back to his bed. He passed Dean's bed on the way to his own, and almost walked past it before doing a double take. It was empty. Sam groaned, knowing that Dean was probably sleeping on the floor. He turned around, expecting to find his brother curled up like a cat on the ground, but instead he saw something that made him jump out of his skin.

Castiel was calmly sitting on the floor of Sam's room, his back propped up against the wall, eyes open and staring at Sam. And Dean was in his lap. His brother, Dean, had his head in Castiel's lap. And Cas was stroking Dean's hair like they did this every day. Sam resisted the urge to slap himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"You're not dreaming, Sam," Cas said as if he had read Sam's mind.

Sam blinked stupidly, and sat down on the edge of Dean's empty bed. He stared dumbfoundedly at his brother. Dean looked so peaceful sleeping in Cas's lap. It was a type of peace that Sam had never really seen in his brother. Dean's body was always wound up with tension, his shoulders tight, and his posture rigid, especially since Purgatory.

But now, Dean's body was relaxed, as if all the tension had somehow leaked out, and his expression was placid.

"Cas, what's going on?" Sam asked. "Why is Dean sleeping in your lap?"

"It's actually not that unusual," Cas stated. "It's happened a few times." Sam continued to stare at Cas like he had eight heads.

"What do you mean it's happened a few times?" Sam asked.

"In Purgatory. The ground was not really the best pillow, and I did not need sleep."

"Oh," Sam said faintly. "Well, if this helps him sleep, then I'm fine with it. Dean hasn't really been sleeping ever since he got back." Cas nodded.

"You can go back to bed, Sam. I'll look after your brother," Cas promised.

Sam nodded, and lay back down in his bed. As he drifted off to sleep, Sam decided that he was happy for Dean. He was glad his brother had finally found some peace.


End file.
